Tuesday's Best 1-12-2010

Another week brings another fabulous Tuesday, filled with recs. Today is a little different though, as I am on my own (life happens, and Whitlock's Girl is dealing with hers, so I'm stepping up and doing my bit). Don't fret though, you'll still be getting your two stories, just like you're used to!

Also, there will be an announcement after the recs, so be sure to read it all (as if you wouldn't)!

Okay, let's get this party started, shall we?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So did y'all know that tjbaby wrote slash? No? I didn't either. Oh, and not only slash, but AU? And not just that, but Darkward to boot? No? Well, she does! It's called After The Storm, and I found it to be quite promising. Now, I'm normally not one to search out darkfic (oh hush, I know what you're going to say! Why did I do the whole Les Femmes Noires-thing then? I said I didn't search it out, but I do enjoy a good one every now and then. So there :-P), but I am very glad I was linked to this one.

It's only seven chapters in so far, and as far as smut goes, there hasn't been a whole lot. Yet. There's been some, and it is definitely...interesting. Anyway... tjbaby is painting an intriguing picture of Edward, and I can not wait to find out all his dark secrets. And then there's Jasper. Poor, confused, grieving, sleep deprived Jasper.

Here's a little snippet for you:

One story below from where Jasper stands, Edward has stopped pacing. He stands with his head cocked to one side, frowning as he listens intently to Jasper mentally berating himself. Edward smiles as he hears Jasper thinking about his parents.

'That was our best idea yet,' congratulates the voice in his head. Smirking a little, Edward intones lowly, "Yes, I daresay it was one of our better plans." Ignoring the voice shortly, he concentrates on the thoughts of Jasper. The smile turns into a self-satisfied grin, growing wider as he hears Jasper hoping that he will return his feelings. Elation spreads through his body like wildfire and he pivots on the spot for a moment, celebrating this success. As he hastens to tamp it down, he smugly tells the silent room, "Jasper is mine now. As he should always have been. I will take care of him."

Edward's intentions included being the only source of solace available to Jasper; believing it when he tells himself that he is doing what is best for Jasper, he chooses to ignore the nagging thoughts in his mind. He does not wish to recognize the warning that screams at him.

With his mind set, Edward waits for Jasper to appear. Jasper will not be pleased once he finds out what it is he wishes to do. He pushes that thought further away as he hears Jasper's footfalls at the base of the stairs.

"Jasper?"

Smiling, he approaches the young man. Jasper has finally returned downstairs, but to Edward's annoyance, he is quiet, and refuses to meet Edward's eyes. This avoidance chafes at him.

There you go. Catch up, and leave her some love... and then wait patiently with me for the next chapter ;-). Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I am!

By the by, that spiffy little banner up there? That's courtesy of SorceressCirce. We figured it would be a fun thing, and I hope it's self-explanatory enough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, y'all should know me well enough by now to know that few fics leave me in tears. And that when they do...well, I just gotta share. Now I realize that the story I'm about to rec is by one of our own lovely ladies, and I know some folks may have issue with that. To you I say: I'm sorry, but get over it.

This story is a must read.

Yes, it will break your heart.

Yes, it is very difficult to read.

But hell if it isn't worth it.

The subject DefinatelyStaying writes about here is a heavy one. One that I wish, with all my heart, wasn't a reality. But it is, and too often it is forgotten, too easily ignored or downplayed. It is something we all could stand to be reminded of, so that we can make better choices. For ourselves, our families, our friends...even for the people we haven't met yet or just plain do not know.

You're going to have to read what happens for yourself. I also won't post a teaser that will give away why I was crying. I will, however, leave you a small glimpse into the life of these boys.

As he was changing Eric, Jasper stopped in to tell Edward that he was going to go down and bring the bikes in out of the rain and put them in the storage area. Edward and Jasper had been in such a rush to spend time together while Eric was finally sleeping, that they’d left their mountain bikes outside. Jasper had just enough time to pay the sitter before Edward had pulled him to bed. Before he left the room, he came up behind Edward and wrapped his arms around his lover’s waist. Pressing his damp forehead against Edward’s bare shoulder, he whispered, “I love you both,” and kissed Edward’s neck. Edward smiled as he snapped the sleeper back in place on his beautiful child.

I normally don't do this, but for this story (oh yeah, hey, titles might help, huh?), Rights of the Fallen, I will do it. I'm asking you to please go and read this. I know it will be hard for many of you to deal with, but if you do nothing else, do this at least. Read it. Open your mind a little, if not your heart. And maybe, just maybe, somewhere, somehow... something might change, because someone read this and took something away from it. After all, a lot of what happens here hinges on votes, or just on love and acceptance.

See, DS, you got me in tears and some heavy thinking ;-). Sorry folks, I didn't mean to go all heavy and stuff on you. Seriously, grab yourself some tissues and go read this though. It's worth it.

P.S. here are a few links with regards to LGBT and the issues mentioned in the story.

Michael's Gay Thought
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
List of LGBT-related organizations
List of LGBT periodicals

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alright, still with me here? Yes? Okay, good :-) Now, I believe I said something about having an announcement to make, so here it is. It's One-Shot time again.

TwiSlash Unveiled's Slash (m/m) Contest will accept submissions starting 1-15-2010!

Remember, this contest is anonymous. Details will be available later this week on the TU profile, so be sure to check there. We will accept entries until 2-28-2010, 11:59 PM PDT. Voting will open after we have validated all entries.

So bring us your Jaspers, Edwards, Emmetts, Carlisles and who ever else you can think of. We're looking for some awesome boy-lovin' here and I just know y'all can deliver!

That said, I hope that you've remembered your tissues and your towels through all of this. Our standard disclaimer applies ;-). Have a great day!